Everyone knows Ja Morant has athleticism that seemingly jumps right off the screen. That's why 98 percent of non-Memphis Grizzlies fans tune into their games even without any rooting interest. But don't sleep on the man's basketball IQ.
During crunch time of the Grizzlies' matchup against the Brooklyn Nets, Ja Morant was able to get defensive ace Ben Simmons to foul out of the game on what looked like a foolish foul. See the play for yourself:
Ja Morant baited Ben Simmons into fouling out 🧠 pic.twitter.com/QZTCci9Z8M
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 25, 2022
What the fans wouldn't know from the play is that the entire ordeal was masterminded by Ja Morant from the beginning. The Grizzlies star spoke out after the game about Ben Simmons getting the better of him in that exact situation … three seasons ago.
“If y'all wanna go dig up a play, I think my rookie year, we was in Philly and the same situation happened like that versus Ben in the first half,” said Ja Morant when asked about the play postgame. “When I went to look at coach to get the play, he ran through the ball, got the steal and went and dunked.”
Here's the play dug up from the archives, via Brandon Abraham:
Article Continues Belowhttps://twitter.com/bcabraham/status/1584746179236986880
“I knew it at that moment,” Morant continued. “Once I seen him, I was rolling the ball and I was at half. I looked at coach, and I see him trying to look like, ‘oh, yeah,' so I knew I had him. He was going to press up and I was going to force the ref to make the call.”
Ja Morant just explained how he baited Ben Simmons into a sixth foul by remembering something that happened during his rookie year. pic.twitter.com/lKgerareWm
— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) October 25, 2022
People often laud cerebral superstars like LeBron James for their insane memory when it comes to plays like this. Ja Morant's electrifying plays often overshadow just how smart of a basketball player he truly is. The combination of skill, athleticism, and BBIQ is just off the charts.